Ibadan Pan-African Electro (Vol. 1)

The first in a series of digital compilations from Ibadan featuring some of most sought out gems from the label.

If you know Jerome Sydenham and are familiar with the amount of groundbreaking records he has been involved with through production, A&Ring or releasing on his Ibadan label, then maybe this compilation might not be for you. However, if you are on a mission to find out what this man is all about, who he has been working with and what inspires him, Ibadan's 'Pan-African Electro (Vol. 1)' is what your ears have been waiting for.

This digital compilation takes excerpts from some of what Jerome– and his frequent cohorts, Dennis Ferrer and Kerri Chandler – have been up to. Which is slowly dominating the production side of New York based House music at the turn of the 21st century. They are all here, 'Sandcastles', 'Timbuktu', 'A Demo by 6:23', the tracks that defined an era and will probably go on to hold a legacy.

1. Ferrer & Sydenham Inc. "Sandcastles (original)" - from 10" No. 4 (2003)
This is Ibadan's biggest record to date and possibly the biggest crossover dance record of 2004 with heavy rotation from a diversity of DJs such as Jeff Mills, Derrick May, Laurent Garnier, even Sasha..., Michael Reinboth, Dixon, Kiki...

2. Ferrer & Sydenham Inc. "Road to Calabar" - from DJ Tools Vol. 6 (2004)
This is Pan-African electro at perhaps it's most articulated. Solid techy beats with an oppositional melody, a folky synth hook that may recall something of the late great AfroBeat.

3. Sydenham & Chandler "Tokyo Dub" - from DJ Tools Vol. 2 (2001)
One of the earliest in Sydenham's forays into stringy techno. First signs of Ibadan diversifying into a less organic sound.

5. Sydenham & Chandler "A Demo By 6:23" - (UK Promotions/Ibadan) (2003)
This appears on your charts right now. It's been lying around in our masters vault for a couple of years. We white labelled it and hinted at Kerri's involvement by using his 6:23 alias. In fact, this is a collaboration between Sydenham and Chandler. I think the Sydenham touch is evident…

7. Sydenham & Chandler "Deep Penetration" - from 10" No. 1 (2003)
This was the first 10", an early experiment in dubbed out tech. Jerome's love of artists like Maurizio and his fission of dub and tech was the inspiration for this seminal track. This represents the starting point for the Pan-African Electro journey.

8. Ferrer & Sydenham "The WJ" - from DJ Tools Vol. 2 (2001)
The WJ is perhaps the first of Ferrer & Sydenham's joint forays into straight electronic product and Pan-African Electro. Moving away from the lush orchestral productions Ibadan was more famous for with works from Joe Claussell and Kerri Chandler, Sydenham veers towards a more atmospheric tech vibe.

9. Downtown Brooklyn Inc. / Sydenham "10 Jay Street (SFE Remix" (2003)
Not part of the Pan-African Electro series per se but beloved by many German DJs. Holmar Filipsson and Olivier Spencer, two thirds of Mr NEgative remake Jerome's afro-house "10 Jay Street"